//------------------------------//
// Sacrifice 
// Story: Living Darkness 
// by vildtiger 
//------------------------------//

to treegrowth: glad you like the story. I admit that Grammerly does has its flaws, but I use it mainly so my main language does not screw up the grammar. 

to HB_DS2013: that I agree on. Sniper knows how much it means having a loving parental figure around.

Note: I think I am going to reply to comments that appear. I like to interact with my readers. 

This happens at the same time as Sniper journey to the alicorn temple.

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Unaware of what has been going on with the other group, the rescue team spies have found the family they were hired to bring back to America. Getting to them proves to be a bit tricky though, the family is kept imprisoned and under constant watch. While Kreel reports this to the others, Black Spy stalks the man he found out is the boss of this guarding group and the moment Scout permitted him and the chance arrived, Black Spy takes the man out. Before the other guards realized what has happened, Black Spy has taken most of them out every time they left the safety of their patrols. With the last guard neck sliced over, Black Spy approaches the oblivious family. At first, the mother is scared about this stranger, thinking he's here to kill them but slowly calms down and listens to his explanation of her husband has hired them to get her and the children out from the country.
"/Thank god, he's alive./" The woman whispers with tears of relief. Now with her on their side, Black Spy explains her of what is going to happen. "/We will escort you to a vessel there will bring you to two of our other members. None of them can speak Polish, so you need to follow their lead. They will bring you to your husband./" The woman nods slowly, she hesitates for a moment then starts to pack her stuff. Black Spy has to stop her when she tries to pack a suitcase. "/No, you can only take the most necessary./" So all she can bring is a few pictures, money and the clothing on her body. The children bring the toy they feel the most attached to.

With the family ready, Scout commands the team to move out. They leave the building and as normally but quickly as possible heads back to their current base where the teleporter back to America is located.
They did have to make a detour thanks to a sudden street riot and that is where Heavy spots it. His eyes wide in shock at seeing a Shadow Pony here in the human world, and having one here and this close is always a bad sign. Before he can warn anyone though, someone starts shooting at them. It causes all hell to break loose at the already hostile riot people and they started to destroy everything on their path, so in order to keep the terrified family safe from both whoever is shooting at them and the frenzy civilians, Kreel and Vanguard Pyro ushers them away from the street, unaware they have approached the watching shadow pony. Heavy wants to tell them that's a bad idea but the yelling of the people shooting at them puts makes him forget about the shadow creature and his full attention is on the fast approaching USSR, it has to be, these soldiers have the uniform and shouting in Russian. What he hears the men shout about is not good.
"They want no prisoners." He translate for the others and takes his shotgun as his only weapon aside from his fists and the crystal shard in his pocket.

"Pyro, Kreel, meet us back at the checkpoint!" Scout shouts at the two, before he, along with the others run to cover at the soldiers assaulting them. Fortunately, they didn't have to worry about the riot people too much, they are busier tearing a building apart further down the street.
Pyro and Kreel disappear down a small and empty alleyway, and Scout crushes his crystal and with his power of agility, leap onto fire stairs and after have gotten the ladder down, he jumps off and shoots a soldier that thought he could flank them. "Move it!" He commands the others.

Black Spy, Medic and Fortress Pyro gets onto the roof and somewhat safety, Scout follows soon after, telling the two remaining to get moving. Cowboy eyes the Fortress Heavy who is quite uncertain if he can climb the ladder without getting shot. Cowboy doubts he can and grabs his crystal. "I'll cover you." He tells the man as he crushes the crystal, Heavy frowns at his statement and asks after he has shot a bit on the enemy. "Cowboy angry?"
He laughs and must say. "Can't say I am, but—" he grabs the weapon the other side of his power has, the big guy frowns deeper when he sees what they are. "Fire is not my only power." Cowboy smirks and throws the seeds at the soldiers. First, the USSR soldiers stare utterly confused at the seeds thrown at them but that all changes when Cowboy activates his power and the seeds grow rapidly into thorny bushes, trapping the men by his command.

He knows he should move but Heavy can't help but stare at this other power Cowboy is doing, the man throws more seeds around and more thorny bushes sprouts from them in an uncanny pace, a soldier runs over to seek cover behind a tree but that too Cowboy can control for after a snap of his grass green glowing hands, the tree almost comes to life and traps the terrified soldier. Heavy mentally kicks himself and hurries over to the fire ladder, well aware that even with this plant control Cowboy has going, the man cannot keep the soldiers at bay forever.
He reaches the roof unharmed and the moment Cowboy realizes this, he makes the thorny bushes grow like a protective wall, making him able to get up the ladder without trouble. The two nod to one another and they run after the others who have gotten quite ahead.
While running, Heavy remembers the Shadow pony and scans the area for it, he spots the creature and a chill runs down his spine from how it is staring at him. What is it thinking? Does it want to corrupt him?
A sudden whistling sound, like a trainer commanding a dog, snaps his attention away from the creepy shadow pony and to whoever made that sound. He didn't spot the person, only a flock of goose sized and green birds. He has never seen such a bird before but he's not really the bird expert. These birds fly over them, then another whistling sound and the birds fly straight at the others.
Two of them got shot down, one other got killed when it failed at hitting Scout who dodged it with ease. Pyro chased the others away with her power of fire but by another command of their master, the birds tried again, this time they hit the firebug. Heavy does not like how Pyro stagger and even from this distance he can see holes in her suit. Medic is quick to heal her but something is wrong, Josef only gets that face when things are not going well.

"They have one thing in common."

Heavy's eyes wide, slowly he turns around, not far from him, a shadowy figure is kneeling down at the edge of the roof beside the one he and Cowboy are standing on. The Vanguard engineer is staring at the shadowy figure as well but is more confused than anything since this is the first time he has seen a Shadow Pony.

"Both wanted the other dead for the pain and suffering the other caused." the humanoid shadow continues and looks down to the alleyway separating them, the two humans do the same and gasp of the sight that Kreel is pinned down, dying by one of those birds and Vanguard Pyro has just been shot in the chest by the bird's trainer. The shadowy figure white eyes lock onto the two men. "Today, you both will lose the one you love."

"NO!" Cowboy cries and runs down to save his wife from whatever the bird did to her.

Heavy spins around to where Josef is, the birds are attacking him and the others as well, he is about to run over and help them, but a cry of pain makes him check on Cowboy and the two other of team Vanguard. The bird is clinging to the man's shoulder and it causes him a lot of pain, Heavy hesitates, he eyes the man he loves is fight against the birds, but… he can't turn a blind eye on this… Heavy heads back down the fire ladder, runs into the alleyway and pulls the bird away from Cowboy who collapses onto the ground, still alive though. The mere touch on the bird caused his hands to start rotting in the effect of the poison. He stares in horror at his going blue hands, then at the bird there walks on the somehow still alive Kreel. She is the woman who wanted— still wants to kill Josef, he owes her nothing but by the looks of it, he is the only one who can save her. Praying his bigger size will at least slow down whatever poison these birds have. Heavy grabs the bird around the head and breaks its neck as he throws it at the trainer but that didn't do much effect since the trainer did wear a protective suit. Heavy tries to grab his shotgun, but he can't feel his hands anymore and they look really bad with blood seeping out and flesh starting to fall off. The trainer whistles a command and the bird that attacked cowboy flies at Heavy. At least he can die knowing he kept some of them safe. He roars and charges at the bird in order to protect the three members of Vanguard and their client's family.

Medic is starting to get really scared of whatever poison these birds have. His medigun is not built to remove poison but it can ease the effect. He made that upgrade when some on the team did not know how stupid it was sticking a hand into places they cannot see and end up getting bit by snakes. But this poison is more like an aggressive acid from how it breaks down the body from where the bird touched someone. He used almost all of the medigun fluid in order to save Pyro. Good thing they got the birds before anyone else got hit, he wouldn't be able to save them if they— a way too familiar roar echoes over the roof, Medic scans the area but cannot see Misha. All he sees is a shadowy figure, a shadow pony. "No…" He whispers, well aware that having one around is bad news. Without telling the others, he runs over to where the shadow pony is, demanding it: "What did you do?!" To flinch away when it is suddenly right at his face, smiling in a twisted manner. "You should more be asking: what will you do?" and it disappears. Medic stands frozen for a moment, both from its words and it didn't bother to twist his mind, then snaps out from it and frantically looks around. He gasps at what he finds down at the alley. He does not waste time using the ladder, he jumps down and softens his landing with a quick shield spell. He runs over to Misha, he's still alive but just barely. About to use his healing magic, he notices the three fallen Vanguards, the pyro is about to bleed out from the gunshot he took to the gut, Kreel from the acid poison and Cowboy, well he looks to have gotten hit over the head or something from how he's passed out. He won't be able to help the pyro and spy if he heals Misha and if he helps those two, then Misha will die. The answer to who he should heal comes rather easy, Misha means more to him that those two, but… he eyes the large rotting spots, not sure if he has enough magic to heal Misha. He didn't get one of the crystal since the Vanguard team still do not trust him.
"D…Doctor…" Misha wheezes, Medic takes what should've been the Russian's hand, now more than a disgusting rotting lump. "I'm here, now let's get you healed up. You will deal with large scars and I need to find you a pair of new hands but you'll liv—" then a bird he thought dead suddenly leap up and attacks him, his magic activates on its own to counter the acid. He fights to get the bird off, but it is so bewildered that it does not know what is up and down, making it impossible to get the thing off. Then someone grabs the bird, a striking heat and the bird falls to the ground, burned to a crisp. Medic snaps his eyes to Cowboy who is surrounded by flames and his eyes completely white, in fact, he looks like a raging demon this very moment. Medic takes a step back, he can't risk a fight with the man, he has barely enough magic to save Misha!
Cowboy's expression of rage softens, still on fire, he walks over to Kreel and collapses beside her.
She only has enough strength to take his burning hands. Medic stares at the two saying their goodbyes, now he realizes why Kreel was so mad at him. He didn't only mangle a team member, for her, he hurt the man she loves. And he can fully understand why she did it, he would've done the exact same thing if he has been in her shoes. Slowly, he turns to Misha, trying not to think about the man who soon will lose his beloved but if he saves her, then his own beloved will die.
Does cast a glance to the two again, now confused as he clearly saw Cowboy take the bird but the man's hands look fine, on fire but fine. Staring a few seconds Medic's eyes widened when he notices that these flames of rage somehow have an antidote effect on Kreel, she will still die though from the damage the acid poison has already made. His doctor side kicks in and he loathes of what it is telling him. Medic fists his hands. "Is this my punishment?" He asks himself, or maybe god, he does not know, only that he will regret this as long as he lives but his logical side reminds him that Kreel and Vanguard pyro has the best chances of survival. He wants to save Misha… truly he does but… he has so much acid in him. "I'm sorry…" He whispers to the man he loves.

Those two words are all Josef needed to say, he knows what the doctor has to do. Does come a bit as a surprise though, Josef usually does not care about other people, less so when they have made it clear they do not want him around. Heavy is too weak to speak, all he can do is nod he understands and smiles that he is glad to see that the man is willing to put others before his own needs. Josef's hands are shaking from the emotions he's feeling, clear he does not like it but he must've realized they are more likely to survive. Slowly Josef leaves him and Heavy tries to stay conscious but is unable and the darkness takes him where death awaits him.

Medic first heals the pyro, at least enough so he won't die. He then turns to the other pair, but does have to step back when Cowboy flames grow intense in reaction to the man's defensiveness of his dying girlfriend getting touched by the man who hurt him. "Do you want me to save her or not?" Medic asks the flaming man annoyed, Cowboy blinks, hesitates but do move aside and lets him tend to Kreel. As thought, the flames have removed the acid completely which is strange but not something Medic can question right now, it's easier to heal thanks to those flames of rage than when the acid just kept on going until it ran out of juice or he ran out of healing magic. He heals Kreel, not fully as he still hopes to save Misha.
"Why are you helping her?" Cowboy asks suspiciously but Medic is really not in the mood for this interrogating, in fact: "Halt die Klappe, before I change my mind and heal Heavy instead." Cowboy is smart enough to stay quiet.
With Kreel at least out from danger, Medic leaps over to help Misha, the acid poison is still eating him up from the inside but the Russian has always been one tough bastard so he's still alive. "Your fire nullify the bird's acid." He tells Cowboy in a hard matter of fact, the man jerks away from Kreel in surprise, Medic meets the man's glowing white eyes with his determent steel-blue, trying not to think about what Cowboy's eyes at this very moment reminds him of a shadow pony. "I need you to remove the acid inside Heavy."

Not sure that has been his plan to use Sophia as a bargaining ticket or this manic doctor actually has some humanity in him. Whatever it is, Cowboy can help the Russian man with his fires. No idea how but unlike the others who got this rotting effect from the those bird's acid, when they touched him, something primal woke inside of him and the flames came. Cowboy eyes the somehow still alive man. The Fortress medic didn't see it, but his eyes landed on the German, watching the determent but also scared look in the man's eyes. Cowboy recognizes that look, he has had that look every time Sophia got into trouble and needed him, he realizes there is more than simple comradery between the two, quite a surprise but like his country, he is starting to be rather indifferent about the subject of gay relationships. He leaves his two team members and steps over to the Fortress Heavy, puts his flaming hands onto the big guy and by his command, the magenta flames engulf the heavy, burning away the acid effect that poison had. He is pretty sure the flames still hurt, Sophia showed signs of it but had been too weak to move away from it. However this big guy needed way more fire than his wife and when sure Heavy body has been cleansed from the acid, Cowboy takes a deep breath and slowly the flames surrounding him fades, not fully though as this awoken primal side of him is still in effect from the bird's attack. "Do you have enough of your healing ability to save him?" He asks the German for even with the poison gone, this big guy is still at death's doorstep.
Fortress medic meets his eyes and without a word before he goes over to save the Russian. Cowboy stands frozen for a moment, shocked. He saw an unyielding determination to save this man. That's not really what shocked Cowboy though from his strong suspect on what the doctor and heavy are to one another. No, it was the other thing he saw in the medic's eyes.
Something Cowboy never thought he would never see in the German's eyes, but he saw it and although Cowboy does not like this man at all, his past hatred fades from this sudden respect of similarities between them.
He reaches into his pocket. "Here." and hands Medic a second crystal shard, one he carries around if he needs to use his powers one more time.
The German eyes him surprised and Cowboy simply explains. "You will need all the power you can get."

Hesitating, Medic takes the offered shard, has to remove one of his gloves and the second his skin touches it, the shard begins to glow the Element of Magic's color. He squeezes and the shard shatters in his hand, does not hurt as he expected though, instead he feels a very familiar surge like when Twilight used the Elements in them to defeat Sunset Shimmer. It strengthens him but does not replenish his almost fully depleted magic resources, he prays that this boost is at least enough to save Misha.
Medic returns back to heal Misha, does not take long before a sharp headache arrives, a warning for him to stop but he doesn't, even with the small lesson Twilight taught him through their letter writing.

'There is something I do not understand. If ponies have magic that can literarily bend the world to their will—'

'We aren't all powerful Medic.'

'Twilight, my world might have magic but other than call monster eyes from another dimension and summon a small army of skeletons. The wizard got nothing on what ponies do daily. No ordinary human can control the weather. We cannot decide when the sun should raise nor can we lift objects with our minds or let plants grow into harvest size in a matter of days.'

'Really?'

'Yes, that's why I am so confused. Even with all these powers, why do you still have so many threats?'

'Not all ponies can do the same thing. Some just does not have the talent or skills.'

'I see, does these level of power come from the talent or how much magic the individual pony have? You got quite angry when I used that freezing spell.'

'Of course I got angry! No beginner unicorn should attempt such an adept spell, you might have broken someponies bones! You got lucky thanks to your medical knowledge.'

'What does happens if someone does not have the magic to make a certain spell?'

'Well if the unicorn does not have the knowledge or talent to cast the spell, then the spell breaks like when I tried the age spell. But if a unicorn has the skill but not the magic for it…in most cases the unicorn will get an extreme headache, that's where they should stop.'

'And if they don't? What if they want to finish this spell and keeps pushing?'

...

'Humor me Twilight.'

'If a unicorn does not have enough magic for the spell and ignores the headaches, the increasing strain in one's muscles, the blood clouding one's vision…'

Medic coughs and drops of blood lands on Heavy's ruined uniform, but even with trembling muscles strained from what he demands his body to accomplish and he has trouble seeing what he is doing from the blood vessels in his eyes are starting to break. He still keeps on healing, remembering Twilight's warning of what he is currently doing.

'And if they keep ignoring the fact they will cough up blood… if a unicorn— any pony keeps pushing their magic in something they were never meant to do, then… they will die.

He keeps pushing his magical potential, even with all of the pain of his body breaking down in response to him forcing it to do more magic than it is able. His determinating to save Misha forces him to ignore his fast-approaching doom.
The healing only stops when his body finally reaches its breaking point and he collapses beside Heavy, through the greatly blurred sight, he sees Cowboy reach out for him, he never feels the hand though, the darkness has already taken him by that point. He exhales out the remaining air and the body goes limp from the heart has made its last beat.

Cowboy slowly removes the hand from the German's neck, brushes his fingers over the lids and bows his head in the first of respect to the man.
The sound of something hitting the roof's floor makes Cowboy look up and he sees Ignis, part of his left arm has signs of the bird's rotting poison but does not look like he's going to die from it. The man with the wings made of fire stares down at the scene in shock but also has a gleam that he knew this was going to happen.
Slowly Cowboy gets on his feet, an idea has sprung into his head, one he would never have considered before the Fortress medic proved he wasn't so bad as their first introduction told. "Ignis, you have to bring him to the nearest respawn area." He eyes the German. "He has just died, if we are lucky, the respawn can pick him up if you hurry."
Ignis jumps down to him, without a word he picks up Fortress medic and flies away. Cowboy watches them disappear up in the sky, then turns to the family they were hired to return back to the client. They are terrified but fortunately, none of them got hit by bird or bullet. Cowboy activate his radio "Scout, there are some changes to our plan." He speaks into the intercom, the others will have to take of the family. He has three casualties who needs medical attention before Medic's work was for nothing. His eyes land on the Fortress heavy.
Well, almost everyone.